Thursday, December 18, 2014

The first novel in a planned series, Pennyroyal Academy, opens with a young girl lost in a dark magical forest who stumbles on a deserted cottage. Hoping for shelter, she enters and quickly realizes she has made a huge mistake. The cottage belongs to a witch who returns with a captured boy. But this is no ordinary boy and girl. The two of them are able to escape the evil witch and begin a journey to Pennyroyal Academy, a school for knights and princesses who learn how to battle evil witches. While at the Academy the girl with no name discovers she is the victim of a curse and slowly discovers her true identity.

The traditional idea of princesses as kind generous girls remains true, but M.A. Larson has given them other qualities as well: strength and witch fighting abilities. Pennyroyal Academy is a boot camp for girls to train to join the Princess Army and help rid the world of the evil dangerous witches. Readers will love the references to well-known Grimm's fairy tales as well as the idea of princesses who are not damsels in distress and can do their own saving. Younger readers who are closer to the princess-loving age may enjoy the novel more, but older readers will also appreciate the girl-power update to the fairy tale world of their youth.

**

That's my official VOYA review. I just finished reading Pennyroyal Academy to my 7 year old and she decided to do her own review as well:

M.A. Larson, AuthorPennyroyal Academy, Title

I liked Pennyroyal Academy because it is fiction and Evie learns about her family and I liked that it was different because the princesses were fighting witches instead of laying around.

I think that people should read it.

**
Edited 1/6/15 to include this tweet from Larson. How cool is he?

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, December 01, 2014

Known to fans of Cassandra Clare's series The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, Magnus Bane is an immortal warlock straddling the line between good and evil. The son of a powerful demon, Bane often finds himself coming to the aid of helpless mundanes (regular humans) as well as other Downworlders (Werewolves, Vampires, Fairies) and even the haughty protectors of the world, Shadowhunters. A supporting player in Clare's series, Bane gets the center stage in The Bane Chronicles, a collection of short stories about his past and present. As with most short story collections with more than one author, the writing is a little uneven and some of the stories are less interesting than others but Bane's charismatic over-the-top character is enough to keep one reading. While just a companion to the two series and not a prequel or sequel, knowledge of the series definitely enhances the enjoyment of the book. The stories are mostly in chronological order starting with Bane's friendship with fellow warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss in 1791 and following his exploits in mundane affairs (the French Revolution and the Stock Market crash in 1929). Fans will be most interested in the stories concerning Bane's connections with the Shadowhunters and his relationship with Alec Lightwood of The Mortal Instruments series.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, November 07, 2014

A while back I came across a book at the library that jumped out at me: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis. It was a delightful mash-up of fairy tales that I thoroughly enjoyed. One night while searching my library's ebook collection another book jumped out at me: Hero by the same author. This is not a sequel and knowledge of Enchanted is not necessary to read it, but the reader's experience is definitely enhanced by it.

Saturday is the sixth sister in her rather large and odd family. All of the other sisters have been granted some kind of power by their fairy-aunt Joy, except for Saturday. Saturday is the most "normal" of the sisters and concentrates on helping her father and brother cut wood and help maintain the house. When a visitor arrives with a message that her mother's older sister has died, things start to change for Saturday. She mysteriously summons an ocean--and her older sister the pirate queen Thursday--and manages to get kidnapped by a powerful witch who thinks she is her older brother Jack. Saturday is not the only one held captive by the witch. A young man cursed to appear as the witch's daughter (who escaped years earlier) and a shape shifting chimera are also residents of the mountain above the world. The young man Peregrine just happened to have been having visions of Saturday all of his life and naturally falls in love with her.

Hero has just as many fairy tale references and the framework that fairy tale readers love with a bit of a twist. Instead of a "damsel" in distress, Saturday is the hero and she saves Peregrine. Although she is posing as her older brother and he is pretending to be the witch's daughter, it's still pretty girl power strong. I loved Saturday and her strength. She is not a weak helpless maiden waiting for someone to rescue her. As we expect from fairy tales there is romance and instalove, but it wouldn't be a fairy tale without it. Hero was just as entertaining as Enchanted and I can't wait to share it with my daughters someday. I look forward to reading more companion books about the other sisters.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

I have a thing for Australian authors (Garth Nix) and Melina Marchetta is definitely on that list. She is quickly becoming one of those "must read everything they write" authors for me.

Francesca is used to her somewhat overbearing mom Mia starting the day with a feel good song and a pep talk and encouraging Francesca to chase her dreams and stand up to the man. But one day Francesca's mom doesn't get out of bed. That one day turns into two which turns into four which turns into months and Francesca's life is turned upside down. Although Francesca liked to complain about her mom controlling her life and trying to turn her into a mini version of herself, when her mom is hit with a bout of severe depression and cannot continue running the house and family, Francesca doesn't know how they'll survive. No one knows how to help her mom and they all blame each other. Their once very close-knit family starts falling apart at the seams. On top of it all Francesca is in a new school (one of the few girls in a former all-boys school) with no friends and confusing feelings for her new male classmates.

There is something about Marchetta's writing that just pulls me in and makes me forget everything else. She has the unique ability to make me sympathize and become each of her characters. While Francesca is definitely the main character and protagonist, I also felt myself drawn to her mother and putting myself in her shoes as well. It's a mark of good writing when the reader can understand everybody's perceptions and motivations. It's a hard book to read because of FEELINGS, but so very worth it. It's a good look at depression and what happens when someone who is always doing the "taking care of" and "fixing" needs to be taken care of and fixed. There isn't a simple fix to Mia's depression, but with a little time and patience, Francesca discovers just listening can go a long way. I truly enjoyed this book for both teens and adult fans of YA literature.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, November 03, 2014

I wanted to love this book. It's science fiction, it's a stand alone and not the "first in a trilogy," it talks about feminist issues, the author is a librarian. The ingredients were there for a truly great book. But, I didn't love it.

Ava is a young girl aboard a space ship that is both technologically advanced and socially primitive. Men are in control of the ship and given the responsibility of flying it and fixing it. Women exist to cook and clean for them and provide babies. It is a polygamist patriarchal society. Ava doesn't know any better because women are never allowed off the ship. When the ship docks at stations for supplies, only men are allowed to leave. The claim is that women's bodies cannot handle the gravity of the stations or Earth, but in reality it is another method men use to control women. If they don't see alternatives, they won't complain about how they are treated. Ava's father arranges Ava to be married to a man on another crewe ship. She has hope that it will be her childhood friend, Luck, and makes a terrible mistake based on that hope. When her father discovers what she has done, she is cast out. They intend on killing her but she is able to escape and make her way to Earth where she discovers a completely different way to live.

The book is very long and very dense and very slow. There is a lot of description and even the action seems somewhat drawn-out. I should have been outraged for Ava and invested in her journey, but I found myself not really caring all that much. I felt detached from her. I'm glad I stuck with it and it ended on a good strong girl-power note, but it didn't grab me as much as I had hoped.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, October 31, 2014

I read this book in one day, which is not so common for me anymore, particularly when it's over 500 pages!

The Magister has wreaked havoc with his Infernal Devices automatons but he still needs Tessa to complete his horrible plan. When The Magister finds a vulnerability and exploits it, Tessa is ready to sacrifice herself to save the people she loves, but Will and Jem will do anything to save her.

This was a great conclusion to The Infernal Devices trilogy. We learn about the origins of Tessa's power and her true identity, the cruel side of the Shadowhunters and why it's easy for Downworlders not to trust them. We see the invention of tools The Mortal Instruments' Shadowhunters take for granted. There are so many little links to TMI characters and plots. If it's possible to have a "best of both world's" ending, this book has it. Fans of the series will not be disappointed.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Tessa is relatively safe at the London Shadowhunter institute, but when the Clave seems intent on removing Charlotte as head of the institute, all bets are off. The Magister is still out there waiting to use Tessa's gifts for his own nefarious purposes and rogue Shadowhunters within the Clave are helping him. Frightened for her safety, Tessa is also caught between her feelings for the dark broody Will Herondale and the sweet but dying Jem Carstairs. Will is finally able to destroy his demons and open up to Tessa but it may be too late.

This is another good installment in the Shadowhunter universe. I didn't think I would like Tessa's story and I didn't want to be caught in a love triangle book, but Tessa grew on me and I enjoyed learning more about her "gift." The love triangle is not so much an "either or" as an "all of the above"… Will, Tessa and Jem all love each other and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for each other.

Fans of the Shadowhunter world will eagerly look forward to the conclusion of this trilogy.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Tessa is a 16 year old American girl traveling to England to be with her brother after her aunt suddenly dies. She arrives in England and is greeted not by her brother but by two strange women who kidnap her and force her to "change." Not knowing what they are talking about, but afraid for her brother's life, Tessa learns she has a magical ability to change her appearance to another person if she has touched an object of importance to that person. The strange women are demons who intend on exploiting that ability for their master, The Magister. Luckily for Tessa, the Shadowhunters are on the case and she is rescued by the brash and brooding Will Herondale.

Clockwork Angel is the first in Clare's second Shadowhunter trilogy, The Infernal Devices. Although Tessa and Will are not quite as swoon-worthy as Clary and Jace, fans of The Mortal Instruments will still enjoy reading their story as well as meeting their favorite characters' ancestors. Magnus Bane, the immortal warlock, plays a prominent role as well. Readers who can't get enough of the Shadowhunters will appreciate this one.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, October 27, 2014

This should be pretty obvious and it's been 7 years since this series started but I'll spell it out anyway: Although I try pretty hard to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there will be spoilers for the previous books. So if you're like me and lived under a rock for the last 7 years, start with the first one.
Clary has managed to separate Sebastian and Jace but not without a price. Jace is consumed with heavenly fire making it nearly impossible for him to touch or get close to anyone, least of all Clary. Sebastian is stronger than ever and commands an army of dark Shadowhunters with his Infernal Cup. When the Shadowhunters are betrayed by supposed allies, Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec must travel to the demon realms for the final showdown between good and evil.

This was a satisfying conclusion to The Mortal Instruments series. Overall, the series was exciting and engaging. Fantasy fans, particularly those who like stories of good and evil, will appreciate this series. Reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this series is entertaining and worth the time to read it. Although Clary and Jace's story is "done," there are more Shadowhunter tales to come.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, October 24, 2014

This should be pretty obvious and it's been 7 years since this series started but I'll spell it out anyway: Although I try pretty hard to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there will be spoilers for the previous books. So if you're like me and lived under a rock for the last 7 years, start with the first one.
If you made it through City of Fallen Angels, you're rewarded with City of Lost Souls. In COFA, we learned that because Jace and Clary kept his resurrection from the dead a secret, they didn't know Jace needed a special ceremony to protect him from demon interference. Not having that ceremony done enabled Lilith--mother of demons--to control Jace and trick him into resurrecting Clary's real brother, the evil Jonathan/Sebastian. At the end of COFA, Jace and Sebastian are bound in such a way that killing either will kill the other. In COLS, Sebastian completely controls Jace and the two of them embark on a quest to destroy all Shadowhunters. The only thing Clary can do is go deep undercover to try to learn what their plan is.

This book was SO much better than COFA. Sebastian as the Big Bad makes more sense than Lilith. Clary's undercover work with Sebastian and Jace is suspenseful and thrilling. We see Clary start to come into her own as a Shadowhunter and someone who can fight instead of someone who needs protection. COLS is hard to put down and well worth the read.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

This should be pretty obvious and it's been 7 years since this series started but I'll spell it out anyway: Although I try pretty hard to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there will be spoilers for the previous books. So if you're like me and lived under a rock for the last 7 years, start with the first one.
Valentine has been defeated, Jocelyn (Clary's mom) is awake and engaged to Luke, Clary is home in NY and free to love her not brother Jace. Jace has been training Clary to be a Shadowhunter, as well as being the perfect boyfriend. Everything should be peachy keen, but after a few short months yet another obstacle is thrown in Clary and Jace's way. Someone is killing Downworlders and Shadowhunters and when Jace starts having dreams about killing Clary, he reacts by distancing himself from her. There's also some stuff about Simon not being happy as a vampire.

This was the weakest book in the series. It's the only one I didn't rush through, the only one that didn't have me immediately pick up the next book as soon as I turned the last page. Of all the things to keep Clary and Jace apart, dreams of killing her is the most ridiculous. It's not until the very last chapter that the book gets interesting. It seems like this book exists solely to set up the next trilogy. It could have very easily been skipped and the few important plot points summarized in an opening chapter in the next one. But it wasn't, so you'll have to read it to get those important plot points so you can read the next two in this series (which is totally worth it.)

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

This should be pretty obvious and it's been 7 years since this series started but I'll spell it out anyway: Although I try pretty hard to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there will be spoilers for the previous books. So if you're like me and lived under a rock for the last 7 years, start with the first one.

Clary is STILL trying to save her mother and must travel to the Shadowhunter's homeland Idris to do so. She needs to find the warlock who helped her mother put herself into a coma so he can hopefully get her out of it. Unfortunately, the warlock is killed before she can talk to him. On top of that, Jace doesn't want her in Idris, Simon--who is now a vampire who can withstand sunlight--is being held prisoner by the very people who are supposed to be helping Clary, and there's another boy giving Clary confusing feelings.

Clare gives us everything we want in this "final" book of the trilogy (yes, final is in quotes for a reason. Wait for the next review.) Questions are answered, the big drama of Jace and Clary is resolved, and the Shadowhunters live happily ever after. Until the next book.

I was completely satisfied with the ending and enjoyed this book as much as the first two. Was it a groundbreaking work of literature? No. But it was a fun exciting series that was more than just vampires or werewolves or witches. I personally love the idea of angels and was happy to see a series include them.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

This should be pretty obvious and it's been 7 years since this series started but I'll spell it out anyway: Although I try pretty hard to avoid spoilers in my reviews, there will be spoilers for the previous books. So if you're like me and lived under a rock for the last 7 years, start with the first one.

Clary has learned an awful lot since her first introduction to the Shadowhunter world in City of Bones. Not just an ordinary mundane, Clary is the daughter of Shadowhunters which makes her one too. She still has so many questions and she's found her mother but she can't get any answers out of her because she's in a magically induced coma. Stuck between living a "normal" life with her best friend Simon, who seems to be becoming more than friendly, and her forbidden romantic feelings for her newly discovered brother Jace, Clary is a big ball of confusion. Clary would like to leave it all behind, but she needs Jace and the Shadowhunters to track down Valentine and hopefully save her mother.

If you liked the first book, you'll like this one.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, October 20, 2014

A couple of months ago I was sent The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare to review. The Bane Chronicles is a companion to The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series and I had not read ANY of them. In order to do a proper review I felt like I had to go and read at least one if not both of the series, so I started with the first book in The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones.

Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray goes to a nightclub with her best guy friend Simon expecting a night of dancing, but stumbles on a murder in progress. Three strange teenagers covered in tattoos have taken a boy into a back room of the club and are torturing him with the intent to kill. Clary is shocked but even more so when the boy's dead body vanishes into thin air. Thus is her introduction to the world of Shadowhunters, Demons, and Downworlders. Demons exist to plague mankind and take over our world and Shadowhunters (part Angel) live to defeat them. Downworlders are half-demon but they've come to a tenuous truce with the Shadowhunters. As a mundane (normal human) Clary shouldn't be able to see any of them, but she soon learns no one is what they seem.

When Clary's mom is kidnapped and Clary has to fight a demon, she seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters from the nightclub, including gorgeous, sarcastic, but brooding Jace Wayland. Clary learns about this weird world of demons and angels from Jace and his foster siblings Alec and Isabelle. They all must work together to try to save Clary's mom and battle the Big Bad--rogue Shadowhunter Valentine who led a failed revolt years ago in an attempt to destroy all Downworlders.

I've seen the negative reviews of this series and it seems like people fall into two camps--those that love the books and those that hate them. Although I fully recognize the problems with the series, I did love this book. Clare knows her audience. "Ordinary" girl who turns out to be super-special, demons, slayers, hot tortured boys, forbidden love, this book/series has everything teenagers (and those who have yet to accept they are not teenagers) want. I gobbled this book up and read the entire series in just one month (which is super duper awesome when you consider I have 4 kids and also trained for a half marathon in the same month!)

Fans of Buffy (as I am) will love this series. This first book was also made into a movie which should appeal to teens as well.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

It's Christmas time in New York City and Lily and Dash find themselves alone. Lily is supposed to be watched by her older brother home from college, but he's a bit too absorbed with his boyfriend and not very interested in entertaining his kid sister. Dash has manipulated his divorced parents into thinking he is staying with one of them when he is actually not spending the holiday with either of them. Lily's older brother decides to help her find a boyfriend by encouraging her to leave a moleskin notebook with bizarre clues in their favorite bookstore. Dash finds the notebook, responds to the clues and leaves his own. They embark on a scavenger hunt courtship taking them all over NYC.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the authors' other two books. Written together like the other books, Cohn and Levithan have worked hard to make a unified writing style. It should be credited to Cohn-Levithan as a single author, rather than two separate people. The story is interesting and the characters are fun (they do suffer a bit from Dawson's Creek syndrome, but who's to say there aren't really well read teens out there who wouldn't be so intellectual. To say that it's not realistic is somewhat insulting to teenagers.). Fans of their other two books will not be disappointed.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Amy and Elder have discovered all of the ship's secrets and decided to take the risks and land on Centauri-Earth. Finally able to feel earth under her feet and wake up her frozen parents, Amy should be happy and satisfied. But she and Elder soon learn that there are more secrets and nothing is as it truly seems. Amy loses nearly everything trying to make this new Earth into a home.

This was a great ending to the trilogy and just as good as the first two books, Across the Universe and A Million Suns. Revis has created an exciting world that will appeal to fans of both science fiction and dystopian literature. I was completely satisfied with the ending.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, October 13, 2014

I read Across the Universe over a year ago and was satisfied with the ending, but when the sequel was available as an ebook through my library I decided to read it. I am so glad I did. If you haven't read the first book, you'll want to do that before you read this.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged and "accidentally" woken up from cryostasis. She's trying to adjust to life on Godspeed without her parents but it's difficult with Elder being so busy running the ship. The people have been taken off phydus which gives them more freedom but makes them harder to control. Elder has his hands full just trying to keep everybody alive and fed when he and Amy discover there are even more secrets aboard the ship.

A Million Suns is just as exciting as Across the Universe. A good blend of science fiction and mystery, A Million Suns is a must read for fans of dystopian literature.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Tommy Smythe is a strange boy who is obsessed with physics but cannot relate to his classmates. One day he disappears, leaving behind just his red motorbike and his cryptic journal full of notes about parallel universes and alternate dimensions. Tommy's classmates help search for him but most believe he found a way to cross over into another dimension. No one knows for sure but as long as the truth is never discovered, it remains a possibility.

Tommy's story is told through multiple points of view, some from his classmates and neighbors and others from strangers just passing through town. Each chapter is from a different perspective but they all center around a piece of land called the "pull-out" and relate to Tommy's disappearance. Some chapters are first person narratives (people who knew Tommy) and some are written in third person (people who find objects he has left behind) but all are in present tense. Each is dated with how long Tommy has been missing. While the tense can be jarring to read, it does help add to the sense that Tommy is missing and his story is ongoing. Readers looking for clear-cut answers and conclusions will be disappointed. The real story is not Tommy's to tell, it is in the lives of all the people left behind. Evidence of Things Not Seen is more of a short story collection with Tommy and the pull-out as a unifying thread than a mystery novel and will take a special reader to truly appreciate it.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Seventeen-year-old Cassie has always been intuitive. She knows what people are going to think and do before they do it. It's only natural then that the FBI decides to recruit her for a new classified program that uses gifted teenagers to crack cold cases. While training to be a part of the team Cassie uncovers details about her mother's mysterious murder.

The Naturals is a good suspense story with some teenage angst and romantic drama thrown in. Cassie and her team of gifted but socially awkward teens are interesting characters and the story moves along quickly. Fans of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series will enjoy this new series as well.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Thursday, October 09, 2014

Owen and Lilly, the two surving Atlanteans, continue their quest to save the Heart of the Terra and thwart the evil Eden corporation's secret Project Elysium in this final thrilling installment to the Atlanteans series. Owen is overjoyed to be reunited with Lilly, the true Medium to the terra, as they search for the Paintbrush of the Gods, but his joy is shortlived. He is still reeling from his discovery of his true past and the awful horrors unleashed in Desenna when he must face the hardest test yet—saving the planet or saving his love.

Readers unfamililar with the first two books in the series (The Lost Code and The Dark Shore) will want to catch up before attempting the The Far Dawn and will be rewarded for doing so. Emerson has written an exciting thought-provoking conclusion to his mythical adventure trilogy. This book is more mystical and spiritual than the others and ties the series up nicely. Book groups and classes would benefit from the numerous topics for discussion: ecology, polution, government, religion, ethics. Teens who do not read that deeply will still enjoy the adventure and the basic story of a boy who discovers he is more than what he seems. Fans of dystopian literature will not be disappointed.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Cecil Castellucci dabbled a little bit with science fiction in First Day on Earth but dives right into it with Tin Star. I read Tin Star back in July but the summer swallowed me and I am just now writing my review (the first of 14 I have to do!).

Tula's family is traveling on a colony ship headed to a planet on the other side of the galaxy when it makes a pit stop at an out of the way space station. While on the station Tula asks the charismatic but controlling leader of the colony ship one too many questions and Brother Blue responds by savagely beating her and leaving her to die. She is rescued by the ship's Security Chief but not before the colony ship takes off. Tula has no choice but to adjust to life on the Yertina Feray with the help of the alien Heckleck.

The book's setting and characters make this science fiction, but ultimately the story could happen anywhere. Tula is beaten and left for dead, has no family or friends to help her, and must survive a cruel world. She is the only human on the station--the ultimate fish out of water story--but soon learns how to fit in with the underground society.

This was not my favorite science fiction story or my favorite Cecil Castellucci book. The story seemed to move a little slow at times but overall I liked Tula and I wanted to see how the story would end. I didn't love it but I didn't dislike it either. There is a sequel called Stone in the Sky coming out in February.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

I received a copy of this book to review for VOYA and then a few days later I got another copy randomly mailed to me from Scholastic. I guess the universe really wanted me to read this book.

Lauren is the new girl in a small town that revolves around its high school football team. It’s unclear at first why her mother has abandoned her, forcing her to live with her uncle and his family, and whether or not she deserves it. She has found a loving family with them but she is afraid it will not last and that nothing will work out for her. Colby is the high school football star being recruited by top ivy league schools who secretly wants to stop playing football and study bridges. To stop playing football would disappoint his father, so he keeps his wishes hidden and tries to do right by everybody else. When Lauren and Colby meet they both sense a kindred spirit and a chance at happiness.

The Bridge From Me to You is classified as a romance book but it is so much more. Lauren and Colby’s romance is sweet and slow, but it takes a backseat to larger themes of family and strength and finding one’s self. Lauren must deal with her issues with her mother before she can truly commit to a relationship with Colby, likewise Colby has to face his father. The author lets them work out these issues and develop a friendship instead of jumping into insta-love. The novel is written in alternating chapters of poetry (Lauren) and prose (Colby) that serve the story well. It is a very quick engrossing read that Sarah Dessen fans will appreciate.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Let’s Get Lost is a road trip book with a twist. Leila is traveling from Louisiana to Alaska to see the Northern Lights. Along the way, her trip is delayed by four people who need her help and Leila’s story is told through their eyes. Leila meets mechanic Hudson for a simple tune-up, but soon it’s clear that there are sparks between Hudson and Leila and they set out for a night of epic fun and adventure—on the eve of Hudson’s medical school interview. Hundreds of miles later Leila picks up hitchhiker and sometime shoplifter Bree and learns that seizing the day can be fun but also come with serious consequences. Elliot wants his life to be like a romantic comedy when he confesses his love for his childhood friend, but winds up with a drama instead. Leila helps him pick up the pieces and find the confidence to try again. On the border with Canada, Leila stumbles on guilt-ridden Sonia who is afraid to stop grieving for her deceased boyfriend and move on with a new love. Once Leila reaches the Northern Lights she takes over her own story in the final section.

Leila’s journey is emotional and exciting. Alsaid’s different narrating style invites the reader to join in the ride. Saving Leila’s voice for last lets us get to know her like her traveling companions do. Let’s Get Lost is a touching debut novel and worthy of addition to YA collections.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, July 04, 2014

I reviewed the first book in this series a couple of years ago and while I liked it, life got in the way and I kind of forgot to look out for the second. But then VOYA sent me the 3rd to review and I realized I needed to catch up.

There will be some spoilers in this review (for The Lost Code) if you haven't read the first one yet. Consider yourself warned.

Owen has discovered that he is part of a lost race of people -- the Atlanteans -- and that he has to fulfill destiny in order to save the planet and humans. He is the Aeronaut-- the one of the Three who can fly a special Atlantean ship to get to the Heart of Terra (Earth). The Mariner (Leech ) can locate it and the Medium can speak to it. The Three need to work together to get the job done and protect themselves from the evil EdenWest who have their own plans for civilization.

Owen had hoped that his girlfriend Lilly would be the Medium but she hasn't lost her gills yet and she hadn't seen the Siren. His hopes are dashed further when they learn of a girl in the South claimed to be the Third Atlantean. She is the center of the Heliad-7 cult controlled by the Benevolent Mother. The Heliad-7 believe in living in the light instead of fearing the sun's dangerous rays and sacrifice long lives for more meaningful ones. Owen and his team are rescued by Heliad-7 when they run into trouble with EdenWest. At first he thinks they've finally found a place of safety and understanding, but he's not entirely sure he can trust the "Benevolent Mother" or the mysterious Third Atlantean. Something strange is going on with Lilly as well.

At first I thought I didn't like this book as much as the first. Everywhere they went, Owen and his team ran into people who knew about the Atlanteans and their journey, but Owen had no idea what was going on when he was at EdenWest. He had never heard of the Atlanteans when he lived in the Hub either. I was confused as to why this seemed to be public knowledge and Owen was in the dark. But by the end of The Dark Shore it all made sense. It was definitely gripping and intense and hard to put down. I finished the book in less than 2 days and that's a pretty big accomplishment for me these days. It wasn't just a filler book to get to the end of the trilogy--a lot happens in this book. There's more world-building, character development, and mythology. There are some really heavy topics as well--ecology, religion, government-- that would make it a great choice for a book club. There are a couple of twists at the end: one is predictable and the other was not (for me). Now that I'm all caught up, I'm looking forward to reading the next one. You'll have to wait until it's published in VOYA before I can post it here though.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

I get a lot of my books from the library and VOYA, but I'll also get books randomly mailed to me. Quite a few wind up being too juvenile so I skip them since I never actually asked for them. But once in a while I'm sent something that actually looks promising and YA. This is one of those books.

11-year old Macallan has had her world flipped upside down when her mom dies and is looking forward to the distraction of schoolwork. Levi is the new homesick kid in school looking for his first friend. Macallan is not really interested in anything with Levi until she discovers they both love an obscure British television show. They bond over the show and instantly become best friends. The older they get the harder it is to remain best friends when other relationships and love interfere.

The book starts out with Macallan and Levi speaking directly to the reader, each with a different font, to set up the story. They continue speaking to the reader after each chapter. The chapters alternate Macallan's point of view with Levi's. Besides the font change, they each have distinctive voices and it's easy to tell who is narrating the chapter. Eulberg has done a good job of distinguishing her characters without resorting to simply using crass language for the boy's perspective. We're able to see both sides of the story so we don't automatically sympathize with one or the other.

I've said before that I'm not much of a romance reader. I don't mind it if it's part of a larger story but if it's pretty much just pure romance it doesn't keep my interest. This book was different-- it is a romance, but it's about friendships and family and so much more. Better off Friends is funny and interesting and a good addition to any YA collection.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Holly has always been the responsible hard working
grandchild, but it is still surprising when Grandpa Jim’s will leaves the 16
year old his wedding chapel. Equally as surprising is the letter she is
supposed to hand deliver to a boy who just happens to be the grandson of her
grandfather’s rival chapel owner and sworn enemy. Not at all surprising is that
Holly falls in love with Dax and the two must hide their Shakespearean romance
from their families.

Lindsey Leavitt has written a
funny, touching story of dysfunctional families and a loving grandfather’s last
attempt at fixing things. Holly is the perfect example of a leader. She makes
hard decisions for the company, even if they go against her personal wishes,
and she does so with strength and grace. She may be confused and lost on the
inside, but she still takes control of the family business and they trust her
decisions. A good mix of funny and sad, the romance is just enough to be
entertaining but not too much to overshadow the main story. Leavitt waits until
the very last page before revealing Grandpa Jim’s letter to Dax, a strategy
that works perfectly for our appreciation of the book. In a world of trilogies,
The Chapel Wars stands alone as a
funny, realistic, heartfelt novel that teens of all ages will enjoy.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Allegiant picks up where Insurgent leaves off. While I generally try to avoid spoilers here, it's harder to do when reviewing a sequel. Rest assured I will not give away any surprises from Allegiant, but details from Divergent and Insurgent may be revealed. If you haven't read them yet, consider yourself warned. When we last left Tris and Tobias, she had betrayed him to work with his father to expose the truth the Erudite wanted so very much to hide and at the very last minute Tobias decided to trust her over his mother and helped to expose that truth. That the people outside the wall put them in there to help them develop into Divergents and that when there were enough of them they should open the gates and help the people outside the wall. The decision to stay or to travel beyond the wall is made a little difficult when Tobias's mother imprisons Tris and her friends. She is released and they make plans to escape the city and see what's on the other side of the wall. Once there they discover that things aren't quite what they thought--as usual--and Tris and Tobias face the ultimate test of their relationship. This final installment in the trilogy is told in alternating viewpoints, which makes perfect sense for the story. We've always known Tris's motivations and feelings, but only saw Tobias through her. Alternating the narrators lets us see both of their thoughts and decisions and fears. There were times when I briefly forgot who was narrating what, but for the most part I could keep track. I know there has been a lot of strong opinions about the ending of the book. While trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible here, I will say that I think it ended the way it needed to. Not that I was happy, not that I didn't feel emotionally wrecked afterwards, but that the ending remained true to the story and the characters. I liked this one just as much as the others and read it just as quickly.
******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I was a little late to reading Divergentwhich actually worked out well since I didn't have to wait for the next two books to be written. Sometimes procrastination works. I loved Divergent (and the movie!) and had high hopes for the rest of the series.

I wasn't disappointed.

Insurgent picks up where Divergent leaves off. While I generally try to avoid spoilers here, it's harder to do when reviewing a sequel. Rest assured I will not give away any surprises from Insurgent, but details from Divergent may be revealed. If you haven't read it yet, consider yourself warned.

Tris and Tobias have escaped Erudite's clutches and Dauntless' treachery for the freedom of Amity. Although they are able to rest and heal at Amity, they quickly realize that they are not truly safe anywhere. They narrowly escape Amity and after boarding a train, discover a secret connection to the Factionless. From then on Insurgent is like a wild train ride of suspicions and distrust as Tris and Tobias try to save their people and not lose themselves in the process. There are so many twists and turns and moments when it is just literally impossible to stop reading.

I enjoyed this book just as much as the first and found it very hard to put down. "Luckily" I had the stomach bug which forced me to lay down for quite a few hours and I was able to devour this book in just one night. Although I was on the waiting list for the library ebook for the next one, I gave in and purchased Allegiant roughly 5 minutes after finishing Insurgent.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Anne Dowling is a privileged spoiled rich kid who is used to talking her way out of any problem she encounters. Then she accidentally sets her school on fire and discovers there are some things you can't talk your way out of. The native New Yorker is sent to a boarding school outside Boston to finish out her school year. She's not quite sure how she's going to survive the boredom of prep central but things get less boring when her quiet unpopular roommate is found murdered in the woods outside the school. Anne decides she owes it to her roommate to uncover the truth of her murder and winds up uncovering a whole lot more.

Anne is a sassy, smart, fun character and Prep School Confidential is a quick action-packed read. Suspenseful and entertaining, teens who are fans of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl and the all the other prep school TV shows will gravitate towards this series.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Bareknuckle is an
exciting new hi/lo series perfect for reluctant reader boys. Each book tells a
different story set at an underground boxing club in the 1870s. Although boys
will be most interested in the very violent fighting, each book also throws in
some history and moral lessons. Descriptions of the fights are very visual and
auditory and suck in readers who love picturing loud cracks as bare knuckles
hit broken noses. Squeamish readers might not be as thrilled, but most boys
will be drawn to the fighting sections. Although the series is aimed at
reluctant readers, it is exciting enough to interest voracious readers as well.
In Nathan Sack’s The Big Fix readers
are introduced to underground boxing when young journalist George Choogart
travels to New York to uncover corruption in a post-Tammany city. The Woodrat
is established as a popular fighting club. Fighter’s
Alley by Heather Duffy Stone tells the story of a young boy determined to
enter a high-stakes boxing tournament and try to keep it a secret from his
father who is running for mayor. Slavery and immigration are backstories in
Gabriel Goodman’s Lightning’s Run.
Jewish immigrant Hiram and former slave Lightning join forces at the Woodrat to
fight against bullies, both big and small. The Bareknuckle series would be a worthy addition to middle school
libraries and libraries serving the tween (4th-6th
grades) population.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, March 28, 2014

When an attack on London during World War II seems imminent, 14 year old Jeremy and 12 year old Cecily are forced to evacuate with their cold mother and leave their playful but important father behind. The children travel to an uncle's house in the country but not before picking up an "evacuee" who has also been sent to safety but without her parents. The self absorbed Cecily sees May as someone she can protect by bossing her around and begs her mother to take May to Uncle Peregrine's house as well. Once there the girls find themselves wrapped up in a peculiar mystery when they discover two odd boys hiding in a nearby castle.

The Children of the King is a satisfying deeply layered historical fiction novel. On the surface the novel is about World War II and the bombings on London. Within the novel, Uncle Peregrine tells the children a story about two young princes and the horrible things that happen to them because of their uncle, the Duke. The princes (not named in the novel) are Edward and Richard, sons of King Edward IV, locked in the Tower of London and assumed murdered, and their uncle is Duke of Gloucester who becomes King Richard III. Peregrine's story is closely related to the girls' adventure and adds a thrilling element to the novel. Students can successfully fulfill historical fiction requirements based on the WWII backdrop. Historical fiction fans' curiousity about the two princes may prompt further research.

Monday, March 24, 2014

I stumbled across Mind Games when I was looking for YA e-books to download from my local library system. It was a nice quick read and I enjoyed it. I had some free time one day and actually got a chance to look at my latest issue of VOYA and saw that a sequel had been released. I kind of hate planned trilogies right now… but this sequel makes sense. The story could have ended with the first one and it would have been okay, but there was definitely more story to tell. I'm glad the author decided to tell it.

Note: if you have not read the first one, this review will contain spoilers. There's just no way around it, so if you're interested but haven't gotten around to Mind Games, save this review for later!

Fia and Annie have been controlled by the Keane Foundation for so long they don't even know how to exist by themselves. At the end of Mind Games Fia pretends to kill Annie so that she could escape. Annie is taken in by another group working to overthrow the Keane Foundation while Fia works with James Keane to destroy it from the inside. The sisters have no contact with each other which makes it difficult to work together. Annie has visions of the future but that doesn't help her figure out who she can trust in the present. Fia knows she can't trust anyone and must work on pure instinct.

I enjoyed this book even more than the first. Annie is not quite so helpless. She tries to actually do something to help the situation instead of just being a victim. Fia is just as crazy as ever, but it's an understandable crazy. White introduces a new character, Mae, who becomes Fia's first real friend. The story is once again told in alternating points of view. In an added twist each chapter is a different point in time-- Fia's chapters are all within a few days of some event "Four days before" while Annie's chapters begin months before until they both converge at the end of the book. Perfect Lies ends with a satisfying conclusion that all fans of Mind Games will want to read.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Set in 1986, way before cell phones and texting and email and instant communication, Eleanor & Park tells a heartbreaking love story. Eleanor is the new kid in school; overweight and poor, she sticks out like a sore thumb. Park is a mixed race Asian kid who just wants to fly under the radar and survive school with as little notice as possible. Their relationship begins when Eleanor needs a seat on the school bus and Park is the only one willing to move over. Unlike the majority of YA books these days, Eleanor and Park are not hit with insta-love. At first they barely tolerate each other, then they slowly bond over comic books, and then one day Park holds Eleanor's hand. They fall in love slowly and realistically. They can only see each other at school so each weekend is agonizingly long. Eleanor is so poor she doesn't even have a phone, so they can only talk once when she is babysitting for her father.

Eleanor & Park won the Printz Award (Honor) for YA literature and completely deserves it. The story takes its time so that we are truly invested in each character. Eleanor is not just poor, her stepfather is abusive and controlling and by the end of the novel we are screaming for her to get away. Park's father is a bit hard on him, but supportive and loving. His parents are everything that YA parents often are not--they are present and aware. There are loads of f-bombs and adult language but it makes sense for the story. Teens and those who really remember what it was like to be a teen in love, especially back in the 80s and 90s before instant communication, will gravitate towards this book. Don't pass it up.

******
I'm an Amazon Associate now. If you click on the Amazon links and buy anything I might make a tiny bit of money.